Dangerous and Moving
by BeckyAsABoy
Summary: After a heated Quidditch match, Draco and Harry end up in the infirmary with a curious injury. What will happen to them as they try to heal
1. Intro

_Intro_

It was a dim, misty afternoon, yet nothing out of the ordinary. England wasn't always a land of sunshine and blue skies. The students knew this well enough, so it did not get their spirits down, nor would it let down the quidditch teams ready to face each other on the field. Slytherin and Gryffindor were against each other in the inaugural match of the year, and the bad blood between the two houses was, like always, at a boil.

The teams approached each other at the center of the field, and shook hands with their counterpart. Draco and Harry met. Harry offered his hand, but Draco batted it away. They both shared looks of discontent and backed away. At Madam Hooch's whistle, the players mounted their brooms and assumed their positions. The first ball she released was the Golden Snitch. The seekers' eyes darted around, hoping to find it quickly when the game began. The release of the bludgers signaled the start of movement as Madam Hooch threw the quaffle into the air and blew her whistle. In no time, the players began to dart around, and the fans cheered.

Slytherin was the first to score. Supporters of Slytherin cheered loudly and chanted "Weasley is our King." A large groan came from the Gryffindors and Ron looked dismal. The game hadn't been going for two minutes before Montague scored for Slytherin. Ron frowned, he couldn't help but fear that he was going to cost Gryffindor the match.

"Dammit, Ron." Hermione muttered. Ginny, sitting next to her, scoffed. "Don't give me that, Ginny. One goal and he's become unnerved. He's not going to focus and he's going to wind up missing easy blocks. Hopefully Harry can find the snitch before Ron becomes too frustrated and loses everything." She returned to looking through her binoculars at Ron, whose face did little to conceal the disappointment he was feeling for himself.

"He'll be fine, won't he?" Ginny wondered aloud, frowning. She knew her brother had a short temper, easily aggravated, but he'll get the next block and he'll regain his confidence. On cue, Montague weaved through the other players and took the quaffle from Angelina and flung it through one of the golden hoops. Another chorus of voices from Slytherin sang Ron's praises. Ginny sighed. "Here's hoping Harry will hurry up and win for us."

Hermione scanned the field for a sign of either seeker, but turned her attention away to see the third goal in a row made by Montague. "Well he's not going to do the team any good this way, will he?" Ginny shook her head in agreement. Hermione continued looking for Harry and finally found him in a low corner of the stadium near Draco. "Those two, I don't see why they're arguing instead of looking for the snitch." Ginny stuck her hand out, a wordless request for the binoculars. "Well it couldn't have been good, since Harry's chasing Malfoy."

On the field, Goyle had just knocked a bludger towards Alicia. She evaded it swiftly and barreled towards Montague, who was not at all interested in sharing with his teammates. He tried to avoid her, but she stole the quaffle and flew towards the goal posts. Slytherin's keeper readied himself, but was caught off guard by the a bludger that Crabbe sent toward Alicia, missing her completely. Taking the opportunity, Alicia sent the quaffle through the goals and the Gryffindors erupted with cheering.

Despite the game being played around them, Draco and Harry were finding themselves stopping to fight more than they were looking for the snitch. "Shut the fuck up, Potter. You have no idea who you think you're messing with." Draco yelled as they hovered high above the other players. A loud crack of thunder erupted the sky and the rain began.

"You don't fucking scare me, Malfoy. You think you're some tough guy, but you need to hide behind your lackeys." Harry wasn't going to let him get away with the same bullshit, day after day. "I'm sick of you, just leave us alone. We'll do the same." Lightning brightened the sky before more thunder. "I'm tired of fighting." And it was true. After witnessing Cedric's death a few months prior, he just hadn't been the same. He couldn't find a reason to fight anymore, for fear he would lose somebody close to him. He couldn't handle that happening.

"Ha, you want a truce?" Draco laughed, but the boy he was looking at nodded his head. "Do you think I'm some half-wit born yesterday? I'm not going to drop my guard down to you." Draco pulled out his wand from his robe pocket. He pointed it at Harry. "I could destroy you with just a flick of the wrist."

"Then why don't you?" Harry asked. Rain poured down over his face masking his tears. "I'd rather die than lose again." He had been severely depressed since the battle with Voldemort in the graveyard and there were times when he thought of ending his life. Slashing wrists and hanging ropes were so easy, but he could never bring himself to do it, but maybe if he goaded Malfoy on, he could cause his enemy to send him to his doom. "You would make your Lord Voldemort so proud."

"Shut up." Draco said, clenching his wand tightly. "Who are you to say his name?" He raised his wand higher threateningly. Harry was right. If he had managed to kill the boy that had evaded the Dark Lord's grasp time and time again, he would surely hold him in high regard. Of course, if he did do anything in front of all these spectators and Dumbledore, he would surely be sent to Azkaban and left to rot.

"Come on." Harry screamed. "Do it. Be a fucking man, Draco." Harry lowered his head, and hovering below him, the snitch was hovering about. He was a natural born seeker, and the shining gold made him forget his death wish for the moment. He zoomed downward to snatch the snitch.

"You arse." Draco couldn't believe he fell for something so stupid; it was just a distraction from his duties in the game. "I can't believe I let you trick me." He yelled out, following Harry toward the snitch. Draco sped swiftly toward the snitch, but Harry had too much of an advantage and expertly caught hold of the snitch. Enraged, Draco, still holding his wand, rushed Harry in an attempt to steal the snitch from him. He grabbed for the snitch as he sped to him, but the momentum was too great and he lost control, crashing into Harry and sending them both hurtling toward the ground.

Hermione had been watching the boys intently, since it was less embarrassing than Ron's pitiful attempts at keeping the quaffle out of the goal. She gasped abruptly when she saw Draco pull out his wand. "Ginny! Draco has his wand with him. He's going to hurt Harry." Hermione scanned the crowd, searching for Dumbledore or McGonagall, but to no avail.

"Malfoy is a ferret and scum of the earth, but he's not stupid. He's not going to do anything in the middle of a quidditch match with all the students and professors watching." Ginny said, hoping that it would make a difference.

"No, now Harry's chasing after...he caught the snitch!" Hermione jumped up in glee. "We won! Way to go, Harry!" Hermione and Ginny beamed with pride for their friend, but that was short lived as she looked through her binoculars again. She screamed in panic. The students around her looked at her annoyed and confused. "They're falling!" The two boys were hurtling towards the earth, their bodies entangled in each others. Soon the whole stadium noticed what Hermione had and started shouting. Several professors quickly cast spells to slow their descent. Hermione and Ginny ran from their spots and quickly headed onto the field.

Madam Hooch was the first to the site of the accident, shortly followed by their teammates. "Everybody stand back." She yelled at the students. They were both unconscious, Draco on top of Harry, one set of hands clenched together, holding the snitch. Madam Hooch attempted to levitate Draco off of Harry, but they would not separate. On closer inspection, she found that a wand had impaled them both and would not come loose. She was distraught as she's never seen anything like it.

Dumbledore split the crowd as the Red Sea and rushed to the aide of the two students. Hooch whispered what she had discovered and Dumbledore nodded his head solemnly. He retrieved his wand and levitated the boys in front of him, making way to the infirmary. Professors McGonagall and Snape followed closely behind. Ron and Ginny were on their way after them, but Hermione stopped them. "There's no point in following, they won't let us see them in the shape they're in. We have to let them do what they need to do before we should intrude."

"Hermione, our best friend is badly injured, possibly dying, and worst of all he's irremovably attached to Malfoy. We can't just stand idly by." Ron said. He attempted to walk from the two girls, but they each grabbed a wrist and stayed him.

"She's right, Ron. We don't want to get in the way if they have to do anything extraordinary to help him." Ginny said. She worried terribly of what was to become of Harry. Such a terrible injury. Ron headed to the locker room and said goodbye to his friend and sister. "What are we going to do, Hermione?" Ginny asked as they walked off the field.

"We just have to wait." Hermione said. "Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Madam Pomfrey will all take good care of the two. There's nothing to worry about." She wasn't sure if that was true, but there didn't seem much sense in worrying. If something happens, it happens. Nothing could be done. "Let's get a bite to eat." Hermione offered. "I could use a little something to snack on." Ginny nodded her agreement and took Hermione's hand. It seemed like a childish gesture, but she wanted comforting. Seeing Harry like that, it hurt her heart and she couldn't stand the thought of losing him. Hermione gave Ginny's hand a loving squeezed and led her towards the Great Hall.

Hermione was right, of course. She was always right, but that didn't stop him any less from wanting to rush into the infirmary and...and...do nothing. He knew that he wouldn't be able to help with anything that three of the most powerful wizards in the school couldn't do amongst themselves. Ron expelled a sigh and stripped his kit off. He grabbed a towel and stepped into the showers. He found a shower in the corner and turned it on. He held his hand under the stream of water adjusting the temperature to his liking and stepped underneath the head, letting everything wash away. He was happy that the water hid his tears. He couldn't help but to cry out in frustration over how shit he played today. He stopped one goal and allowed twelve others. He produced a bar of soap and scrubbed vigorously, attempting to clean himself of the bad feelings crawling across his freckled skin, like invisible spiders. That thought crept into his head and he screamed. He clapped his hand over his mouth and turned to see if anyone was around to hear his embarrassing shriek.

When he saw he was alone he blew a sigh of relief and picked up the soap, continuing to clean himself. He whispered his mantra to himself, _water off a duck's back._ Again and again as he washed the suds off his body. He was worried about the game, but he felt silly for thinking on it, especially when his best friend was pinned underneath Malfoy, unconscious and injured. And to his dismay, he felt a twinge in his stomach. They were hurt and bleeding and yet, the mental picture of Malfoy on top of Harry was strangely erotic. In his mind, the two forms, healthy and now naked were locked in an embrace. The blondes marble pallor pressed against Harry's bronze tan, holding tight the shorter boy. Draco tilted Harry's head and placed a gentle kiss onto his lips.

Ron snapped out of his reverie and quickly changed the temperature of the water, blasting himself with liquid ice. He quickly moved from the shower and turned it off. He grabbed his towel and started drying himself. He wrapped the towel around his thin waist and rubbed his stomach removing excess droplets of water. He threw on his casual wear, a polo and a pair of jeans, and fixed his hair in the mirror. He could easily run into the object of his affection in the great hall or the common room, so he had to look good. His thoughts went back to Draco and Harry. They'll be fine, he reassured himself, and headed toward the great hall.

In the infirmary the adult wizards stood, hovering over the two students. "I fear we can't remove the wand." Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "Not yet anyway." McGonagall and Snape looked at each other. "They'll come to soon enough with Madam Pomfrey's assistance, but until then, it's just a matter of time." Dumbledore stepped over to Madam Pomfrey and whispered something to her. She nodded wide eyed, and returned to a potion she was making for them. "We can take our leave. Minerva, feel free to alert your house, specifically Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, that Harry's condition is stable. Severus, you may do the same for your house. They need rest, but otherwise, they will be fine." Dumbledore exited the infirmary leaving McGonagall and Snape looking at each other. With a knowing look they turned away from the exit.

"Oh, Poppy dear." McGonagall's voice rang out. Madam Pomfrey produced herself, carrying a cauldron with a light lavender potion. She set it on the nightstand next to the boys and approached the other two adults. "We were just curious as to what Albus whispered to you."

"I suppose if he whispered it, he did it with intent. Maybe he doesn't want you to know." Pomfrey said, returning to the cauldron. McGonagall frowned.

"Was it important?" Snape asked. "We just want to know if there's something about the boys he's not telling us." Snape looked over to the two boys. "Curse us for worrying about for our students."

Poppy stirred the potion and flicked her wand. The potion formed into two long strands and flowed into the mouths of the boys. "I understand, Severus, but if it's any consolation, he was his usual vague, cryptic self. All he told me was something unusual that I may have never seen before might occur and to not worry if it does, but to inform him." Poppy grabbed the now empty cauldron and held it at her side. "As you see, I'm sure it just raises more questions and concerns, so good luck trying to figure out what he means." She left the two of them as she returned to her office.

"That was helpful." McGonagall stated. "I don't know what he could mean though. Of what unusual occurrence does he speak?" She looked over at the boys. "Could it have to do to with the wand impaling them both?"

"Perhaps." Snape studied the wand and the two boys. "I can't imagine what else is unusual about this situation. I've never seen two connected by wand physically." Minerva nodded. "Albus suggests we alert those close to the boys of their condition. It'll be more work for you than me." The two left the infirmary worrying about the fate of the two left behind.

"She said not to worry." Hermione said, keeping a level head. She grabbed the fixings for a sandwich and assembled it at the table. "And I'm inclined to believe in her." She took a bite of her sandwich.

"I still want to see him." Ginny said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Ron nodded, his mouth crammed with food. "We should visit him." Hermione shook her head, taking another bite. "But, Hermione..." She whined. Hermione arched an eyebrow and gave her a look. "Fine, you win."

"He needs rest, Ginny." He fell from the sky and Malfoy fell onto him whilst a wand was between them. Nothing about that says quick recovery. Hermione finished her sandwich and glass of water. "I'm going to head upstairs. Studying and such, y'know." Hermione bid the siblings farewell and headed out of the hall.

"Should we go see Harry then?" Ginny asked now that Hermione had left them. "Hermione doesn't have to know." Ron nodded, mouth crammed with a new ball of food. "Great, well let's head down." Ginny got up just as Seamus, Neville and Dean sat down. They all rang out hellos to the two. Ron gulped, partly to swallow and partly because of the boy he liked having just sat down.

"Actually, Ginny, just go without me. I don't want to go behind Hermione's back like that. She usually knows what's best. Besides, I'm sure these three are itching to know about Harry's condition." Ginny shrugged and waved good-bye.

"So what's happened?" Neville asked. "Is he okay?"

"McGonagall said he's fine. His condition is stable." Ron said cutting a slice of pie.

"What else?" Dean asked, grabbing some bread.

"That's all." Ron said. "McGonagall wasn't very detail oriented."

"You didn't see Harry to tell us that?" Seamus asked, furrowing his brow. "You could have told us that on your way out. You're an idiot sometimes, Ron."

Ron was offended. Seamus had no right calling him an idiot, and this upset Ron. He narrowed his eyes, squinting back the faintest tears, and grabbed the uneaten pie and threw it at Seamus' face, stomping out of the hall. Seamus wiped the pie off his face with a napkin and sighed. He was nudged by Dean who gave him a look, raising his eyebrows. "Fine, I'll go after him and apologize." Seamus said, not unhappy getting to find the boy for a moment alone.

"I'm not familiar with the kind of thing I'm seeing." Pomfrey whispered to herself. "This must be what Albus was warning of. I should let him know." She headed towards Dumbledore's office, leaving the boys to the strange phenomenon.

What she had witnessed was the racing of red sparks running back and forth between the two boys, sending energy from one to the other and back again. As time progressed the sparks moved faster and faster. Suddenly, a flash of red light came and the wand disintegrated. Without its support, Draco fell onto Harry's chest with a thud.

Just as the red light disappeared, Ginny entered the infirmary. "Harry?" She heard a groan coming from the single occupied bed. She rushed to Harry's side. "Oh, Harry." She stroked his hair, "I hope you're okay." She smiled sweetly and kissed him on the forehead. His eyes flittered open and startled her. "Are you okay?" She asked kneeling beside him.

Harry blinked his eyes open. He couldn't really adjust to the light. He could feel a heavy weight on his chest and rolled it off of him. He turned his head toward Ginny, who was smiling sweetly. The look of shock on Harry's face startled her, and she stood up. His eyes couldn't be held open any longer and he fell back into sleep, but not before, to Ginny's dismay, he asked with an uncharacteristic drawl, "What are you doing here, Weasley?"

A/N: I'm reposting a bunch of stories, most unfinished that I intend to finish. If you like it leave a review and or follow.


	2. All About Us

_If they hurt you / They hurt me too / So we'll rise up / won't stop / And it's all about / All about_

 _All About Us_

Harry slowly opened his eyes. He stretched his arms out and arched his back, trying to shake away the sleepiness. He realized how painless his movements were. He didn't remember much, but he was certain that the last thing he did was fall from his broom to the earth and landed hard. It was an impossible thought that he hadn't broken anything. He sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes open. He was not in the infirmary anymore.

His eyes zoomed across the room. It was incredibly well decorated. The wooden furniture: the bedstead, nightstand, dresser and bureau were all carved in mahogany with silver fixtures. The walls were green and a painting of a grand scene of war amongst wizards adorned the wall over the bed. He got off the bed and his feet landed onto a plush, grey carpeting. As if guided by outside forces he found himself assuring the bed was neat and made before moving to the bureau, which he opened to reveal a myriad of dress robes. He undressed himself of his sleeping garments and put one of the robes on. A popping noise sounded at Harry's side and there stood Dobby, holding a tray with breakfast on it.

"Young master, why are you up so early? Did Dobby not bring breakfast on time? " Dobby set the tray down and banged his head against the wall. "Stupid, Dobby. Stupid." Harry took the breakfast, he tried to speak to Dobby, but nothing came out.

"Go, you wretch." A voice spoke into his ear. Dobby vigorously nodded his head and with a pop he was gone. Harry ate the meal, it looked delicious, eggs and bacon and a glass of orange juice, but he couldn't taste it, and he didn't understand why. When it was gone, he moved the tray off his lap and walked toward the bathroom. In the hallway, there were paintings of wizards and witches from years come and gone lining the walls. They talked amongst themselves, ignoring Harry for the most part. Some acknowledged him with nods.

At the end of the hallway, there was a staircase and a door, which he opened and entered into the bathroom. Harry walked to the toilet and relieved himself. He felt like something was wrong, he was on auto-pilot to such an extent that he didn't feel like he was doing anything for himself, as if he was being controlled by someone else. He walked over to the sink, and looked into the porcelain basin. He turned it on hot, the steam rose. Harry put his hands into the water and he wanted to scream in pain, but nothing came out. He continued to calmly wash his hands as if his hands couldn't feel how scalding the water was. He turned the knob to turn the faucet off and took a towel to dry his hands off. He patted the now damp towel on his face and looked into the mirror.

Harry recoiled at the face in the mirror that was not his. Pale skin and light pink lips. Grey eyes and a thin, slightly upturned nose. Blond hair uncharacteristically tousled. Harry was looking in the mirror, but he only saw Draco Malfoy's face. He wanted to touch his face, but he had no control over his body. Draco's hands opened a drawer holding and withdrew a vial of cream and a jar of pomade. Harry mentally rolled his eyes as he watched Draco's beauty regimen. He started with the pomade, opening the jar and took a glob from the jar and rubbed it between his palms. He ran the product through his hair and it became his signature slicked back.

Next was the vial of cream, which Harry had just assumed was a face wash, but he soon learned he was mistaken. Draco opened his robe and Harry looked on in awe. Draco's chest and abdomen were covered in a large number of long cuts, each covered in a sickly green pus. Harry's looked in the mirror at Draco's face, and the look on his face stunned Harry, as it was without emotion. Draco opened the vial and emptied the entire contents into his palm. He rubbed his hands again and started coating his body with the cream. For a moment, Draco winced, but he was accustomed to the feeling. Harry, however, was not. His mind went wild as the feeling of pain surging through Draco's body became so real for him. If he could, he'd have thrown up, but without a corporeal form, he was forced to just relish in the pain he was experiencing. After the cream was applied, the wounds cleared of the pus and closed, leaving thin scars, only noticeable to those who knew they were there, all across his body.

Draco replaced his robe and washed his hand of the greasiness, again with nearly boiling water, and dried his hands. He left the bathroom and headed downstairs. A familiar pop sounded from behind as Draco descended the stairs. "Young master." Dobby said. "Your father is in his study. He waits." Another pop alerted Dobby's departure. Harry could hear the faintest sigh, as Draco led them into his father's study. Harry heard him inquire about his request for his presence.

Lucius looked up. He had been poring over some dark leather books and writing on parchment in red ink, which Harry assumed must have been somebody or something's blood. "Son, I have told you time and time again, you are not to address your elders unless they have addressed you." Draco hung his head, and Harry could feel Draco's tears pushing against his eyes, but Draco held them back. He opened his robe and exposed his chest. "No, son. Not for this." Draco began to replace his robe, but was stopped by his father. "I feel that you don't care about the cause. I didn't raise my son to be soft, but you seem to be impossible to harden." Draco wanted to protest, but knew better than to interrupt. "I know your thoughts, Draco. You can't hide them from me, even at school this last year, you couldn't hide your thoughts from me. You've had some disturbing thoughts, son." Harry could feel the lump in Draco's throat and his heartbeat race. Even the sweat on his palms, Harry was aware of everything that Draco was feeling to a magnified degree. "Tell me, Draco, what is your relationship with the scar bearer?" Lucius stared intently into Draco's eyes, to ensure that his son would not lie.

Harry was confused that Lucius Malfoy did not say his name. "He is my enemy, sir. He hates me." Harry was even more confused by the tidal wave of disappointment that came crashing into him.

Lucius' eyes squinted into Draco's, a mesmerizing stare, which gave Harry a sickly feeling. "Why do you want him to like you?" His eyes were penetrating, and Harry was struck dumb by the question.

"He's powerful, father. He's young and he's a bit slow, but he stopped Him. He must have strength, and I don't want to be enemies to strength." Draco fidgeted with his robes. "I'm drawn to him. Maybe he could be someone to me." Harry couldn't believe his ears. Why would Draco Malfoy constantly treat him like shit if he wanted to be his friend?

"You insolent little cretin." Lucius rose and struck Draco in the mouth. Harry felt Draco's blood in his mouth, or his own blood, he really was confused by the whole situation of this memory. "You want to betray your father, your blood, and our Dark Lord, for 'feelings'" A condescending emphasis was placed on the last word. "I did not raise my son to be a fairy. You are to be strong. You will make me proud, but not until I get rid of your so called feelings." Lucius called for his wand, which was on the desk, and placed the tip against Draco's chest. "This summer is not going to be easy for you, son. I'm going to have to work you like the mongrel you're becoming until your delusions of friendship with that boy are gone. You will be made to see that he is weak, whereas the Dark Lord is strong, and when he rises again, he will destroy all who have ever stood in his way." Lucius' scowl grew darker and both Harry and Draco sensed nothing but malevolent rage brewing underneath the facade. "Do you wish to be in the Dark Lord's way when he is resurrected, or will you cast aside these broken ideas that the scar bearer has any power?"

"I will relinquish my feelings for him, and renounce the idea of a friendship we could have had." Draco said solemnly, holding back strongly the tears welling in his eyes. A single drop fell. "I only want you to be proud of me." Lucius did not react well to Draco's emotional display, however minute. With an arching backswing, Lucius backhanded Draco upside the head, sending him to the ground. Draco caught himself on now bruised wrists and he sniveled in pain, expelling the tears that he had dammed. "Please." Was all Draco could muster when Lucius picked him up by his collar and pulled him upward.

"You want to make me proud?" Lucius tore Draco's robe open and laid the tip of his wand onto Draco's chest, just below his left collarbone. "Then your training will begin today." He pressed the wand into Draco until it had penetrated his skin, spoke _vremyarana_ and slowly removed the wand. As it exited the wound a thick green pus followed and began to exude from the place the wand had cursed him.

This pain, a cutting fire in his chest, was of an intensity Harry had never felt before, or at least of pain he could remember. Draco, having been exposed to this curse multiple times, was in pain, but not to the severity Harry had felt. Draco wiped away the pus with a cringe and wiped it on his robe. He used his robe to apply pressure to his wound, to dull the pain to some extent. He exhaled and wiped his brow. "Thank you, father. What is the next step in my training?" Draco held himself erect, waiting for whatever would happen next.

"You forget too quickly why I must punish you in this way. Every day you slather on the elixir to seal your wounds, but do you ever contemplate why you had to be given them?" Draco hung his head and shook a no. "No, you wouldn't have thought to do that." Lucius paced the room for a bit. "I do this, not only to punish you, which in the grand scheme of things is very little of what each scar represents, but to teach you. Each wound is a lesson that you must learn. One of the most important parts of learning is to study. If you don't study what you've learned you're doomed to forget it, but never you mind, because I'm going to give you a refresher course." Lucius raised his arm and drew a circle in the air and said _Otkrana._ A blue mist in the form of a circle appeared and passed over Draco, in an instant, all the wounds he had closed that morning opened, expelling the viscous, green fluid and each seared in blinding pain. Draco fell to his knees, his skin drenched in sweat and he started convulsing violently.

Harry could not bear the terrific pain that had been placed onto him by proxy. His mind went wild as he tried to hold on to his consciousness through it, but failed and both Harry and Draco, synchronously, blacked out.

A thunderous boom echoed in the room as Draco jerked awake. Draco worried that the ceiling was going to cave in. Another boom, and dust and particles of the ceiling fell onto Draco's face. They were brushed off and he opened his eyes, but couldn't make out where he was. There was a small door next to him, which he opened, but was violently forced back into the small room as, what Draco made out as a baby elephant in his blurred vision, slammed the door in his face. He reached for glasses, which he didn't wear, but putting them on focused his eyes and he could see the hallway as he sheepishly opened the door again. Draco had never, in all his years, seen such tacky decorating. The carpet was dark pink, and the wallpaper was some floral pattern that should not have ever been manufactured. Dozens of pictures lined the wall, most showing the image of the same blond child. On closer inspection, it appeared that it was the same creature that shut the door on him moments earlier. Draco also noticed that the photographs remained static, much to his confusion.

As he took focus off the picture, he noticed that in the glass the reflection was of a small, black haired, bespectacled boy. He walked toward the kitchen, not by his command, and went into a frenzy as he realized he was in the body of a young Harry Potter. Draco vaguely remembered crashing into Harry over the quidditch pitch, and then a sharp pain in his chest, but nothing else. What would be the cause of this strange sharing of memory between him and Harry? Draco couldn't ponder long before Harry led them into the kitchen, where the baby elephant sat at the table, shoveling waffles into his over eager mouth, while the father read over a newspaper. If the child was an elephant, this man certainly was a whale, Draco noted. His face held disgust, but this was not shown on Harry's. Harry looked at his aunt, who Draco, in contrast, thought that if she gussied herself up a bit, could look rather plain. The woman handed Harry a bowl of porridge and barked at him to hurry up and eat so he could get to work.

Draco was stunned that anybody who had a job as lowly as serving food would dare think themselves able to speak to whomever they were serving. Draco then realized that these people, just looking at the squalor of their home, must have been recently destitute, and this was the best their meager earnings could afford, and as such, could not afford real servants, beyond Harry as it would seem. Draco was happy he couldn't taste the gruel being shoveled quickly into Harry's mouth, as it could not taste any better than it looked, though for Harry's sake he hoped it did.

And that thought struck him odder than his current experience; he felt something for the boy that he had so passionately hated for so long. It had been three years since his father had instilled in Draco the idea that Harry was and would remain nothing. All the torture that he had been put through to conform his thoughts this way was unbearable, and Draco could feel tears, but knew they weren't there.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he stopped paying attention to the memory, until he could feel Harry running as fast as he could. Draco looked but couldn't tell from what they were running. Harry's sweat and rapid heartbeat got to Draco and the intense physicality began wearing down them both. The hot, summer sun bore down and Draco could feel the tingle of Harry's pale skin being burned. Draco found the heightened sensations overwhelming and winced in pain. Harry had barely been outside, but his lack of sunlight exposure made him susceptible to burns and Draco was afflicted for it. Harry tried to keep his speed, but he was exhausted and he slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. He doubled over and began panting, trying to regain his breath and hoping to continue, but he had taken too much time, and Vernon had managed to catch up to Harry, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him back to the house at Number Four.

Harry struggled, but his uncle's grip was too tight. He couldn't wriggle his way out of his shirt, so he gave in, and tried his best to keep pace and maintained both feet on the ground. Draco felt another wave of sympathy crash into him, bewildering him. A pain in his chest accompanied the feeling, as memories of his father's curse on him came back. His father had done all he could to ensure that Draco hated Harry, and now any empathy toward the boy who lived would leave Draco in miserable pain.

Harry could sense their proximity back to the place he was forced to call home and his struggling resumed with force. The way he moved, the neighbors may think he was just throwing a tantrum, but he didn't care if it meant escaping his uncle's grip. Harry grabbed for Vernon's hand, which was clutching his collar tightly, when a small spark of blue light escaped his fingertips and shocked Vernon. The pain caused Vernon to loosen his grip, but Harry couldn't move now that that happened. Vernon's face contorted into a pained look of anger and horror. He grabbed Harry again, and brought him inside and shoved him into the cupboard under the stairs. "You little shit. I don't know what you think you're trying to pull, but you just bought yourself the rest of the summer in here."

Draco was furious. How could a filthy muggle dare treat a wizard as powerful as Harry Potter like a mutt, sentenced to months in a cage barely fit for an animal. What upset him the most though was Harry's indifference to how he was being treated. Draco sensed in Harry that this was normal and he had grown to deal with it. Draco had his fair share of problems with his father, but he was never starved or locked in a box or treated like something less than human. Why didn't Harry fight back? He wanted to scream out at Harry, but words didn't come. He only heard a sigh as Harry laid down and curled up onto the cold floor, bringing his knees up into his chest and pulled a small ratty sheet over him to try and keep warm. Draco felt a single solitary tear fall across the bridge of Harry's nose and Harry drifted off into sleep.

Draco felt an odd feeling, as if he were consumed in darkness completely. He was being compressed by invisible forces that may have only existed in his mind. He knew of magic that allowed for people to see the memories of others, but he had never used it, and was unsure of all that it entailed. Nevertheless the feeling, almost reminiscent of a portkey pulling behind his navel had vanished as quickly as it set in as he was thrown into the dream that Harry was having.

The dream world was blurred, as if Harry was trying to relive a memory he never really had. Draco saw the dream through Harry's perspective, but unlike the original memory did not feel the experience, and could only see what the dream held.

Harry was being held, Draco ascertained, and was likely a baby in this dream. A woman was holding him, at least it seemed like a woman, but she was fuzzy, as if Harry had no idea what the woman looked like. Draco thought it could be his mother, but Harry must know what his own mother looked like. Draco couldn't make out much, except a door that suddenly flew open and he was whipped around as the woman faced the door. She frantically placed the baby Harry into the crib and took her wand out in an attempt to defend the two of them. But it was a futile resistance as a cloaked creature came into the room and in a flash of green light killed the woman before Harry's eyes. Draco's heart raced as the dark figure came toward Harry. It peered into the crib and stared at young Harry and without thought pointed his wand at the infant.

Draco realized that this was it, the famous moment when Harry Potter became the boy-who-lived and received his trademark scar. And Draco was mortified, he had never felt this much fear as he knew that the killing curse would be essentially used on him, or at least it would seem that way. And before his eyes, the flash of green blinded him, and he was hurled back into reality.

Draco awoke suddenly, his heart was racing and he was drenched in sweat, but he had control over this body, a refreshing change, but standing above him was Ginny Weasley. His energy was sapped and he was on the brink of collapse, so just before he passed back out, Draco said, "What are you doing here, Weasley?"

A/N: Thanks for reading and following, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story, I have been working at it for a while off and on and deleting it from here and reposting and just trying to figure it out, so it's kind of near and dear to me? I guess. Anyway, reviews are appreciated (btw thanks outofthisworldgal for leaving one) as are follows and such, so...yeah.


	3. Cosmos (Outer Space)

_Black stars and endless seas - Outer space / New hope new destinies - Outer space / Forever we'll be in_

Cosmos (Outer Space)

Ginny took a step back from Draco, who had fallen back asleep. She darted her eyes from one boy back to the other and then quickly left the infirmary. "What the hell?" Ginny asked to nobody. They both addressed her the same way, and she worried that Draco's personality had somehow infected them both, which didn't make any sense. She continued worrying as she approached the Fat Lady. "Devil's snare." Ginny muttered her head hung as she tried to stop worrying. When the painting didn't swing open, Ginny looked up, and the Fat Lady shook her head. "Damn. When did we change it? Don't you recognize me?" She pleaded to the painting, but she walked away, leaving Ginny stranded. "Come back here!" Ginny groaned. She contemplated waiting, but decided to be proactive and headed to the Great Hall, hoping at least one Gryffindor was still there.

"Ron, wait." Seamus picked up his pace to catch up to his fellow housemate. Ron had longer strides and was trying to keep away from the boy following him. Seamus broke into a sprint, and finally overtook Ron, darting out in front of him. Ron, not wanting to run into Seamus, sidestepped and tripped over his feet, crashing to the ground. Seamus couldn't help himself as he started laughing at Ron. "You're such a klutz, Ron."

Ron pouted. "Will you stop insulting me!" Seamus immediately stopped laughing and stretched his hand out for Ron to help him up, but was ignored. As Ron stood up he said, "Klutz, idiot, jerk, to name a few. If you're gonna be an ass to me all the time, why don't you leave me alone?"

"You're being overly dramatic. We're friends, we goof on each other all the time." Seamus crossed his arms across his chest and smirked. "Will you lie to me and tell me that every time some spell backed up on me, you didn't laugh? Don't think you're much better than me."

"There's a difference." Ron said. "You won't understand." He started to walk away.

"Try." Seamus followed behind again. "I might not be the smartest guy, and it takes me awhile to catch on, and often enough things blow up in my face, but I'm sure I can understand if you tell me." Ron didn't respond and continued to walk. Seamus contemplated whether or not it was worth it to follow him. Dean would be upset with him, having a moment alone with Ron and not saying how he felt. His best friend was incredibly supportive when he confided his feelings for the redhead. It had been Dean that pushed him to come after Ron in the first place. So he wasn't going to return to Dean not having tried.

Ron noticed that Seamus hadn't started to chase him down again. He sighed as he made his way up to the astronomy tower. He often went there to contemplate life. The bright stars in the black sky were comforting. The vastness of everything, it helped him put things into perspective that no matter how big his problems seemed, he was a small insignificant part of the universe.

Sometimes his thinking made him feel better, but then he would think of his best friends, and remembered he could feel small just comparing himself to them. Hermione's brilliance shined as bright as the stars, and Harry was Harry Potter. He had to face He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named all the time. While Ron's biggest problem was trying to figure out how to talk to a boy he liked.

At the top of the tower, he was in the open air, it was a bit chilly and he wish he had brought a blanket, but it wasn't a planned excursion like usual. He lay down on the floor and just stared up into the night sky. The day's events came flooding into his head. He had failed as a keeper, and could hear the jeers of the Slytherin's ringing in his mind. He had failed as a friend. Instead of checking up on Harry, he stayed behind to talk to Seamus, and he failed at that too. The stars were not his friend tonight, and all he could do was focus on his failure. And now he could feel his eyes get wet. Why was he crying? He should be stronger than this. Harry faced death and didn't become an emotional wreck, and Hermione had stayed an unrelenting force against anyone who thought she was incapable of being a good muggle-born witch.

He decided he couldn't just lie there, especially since he was starting to freeze. He started to shiver, but was covered by a warm blanket from nowhere. "You looked cold." Seamus said. "I guess I can accio a blanket if the mood strikes me." Ron didn't really make much of an effort to respond, so Seamus kept talking. "Look, I'm sorry. I probably said that already, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I don't want to hurt you, Ron. I mean it. I care about you." Ron's head turned to face Seamus. He squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow for a moment, and Seamus took this as a sign to backpedal. "By which I mean, of course, you're my friend. We've been going to school together for going on five years. We've grown fairly close, as should be expected, right?" Ron raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that any change in his facial expression would cause the Irish lad to blather on some more. "Well haven't we? I mean I would like to think we have grown close, we've all grown close is what I mean. We're all chums, pals, buddies...why haven't you stopped me?" Seamus asked growing red. He felt like a fool, but even his hot face couldn't keep him from shivering, and he didn't call for a blanket for himself.

"Why would I stop you? It's kind of funny how you keep going on and on and on." Ron replied. He lifted up the blanket. "Crawl under here, you look cold." Seamus didn't hesitate, but wished he had. He felt too eager to be close to Ron now. "I don't have to ask you twice, do I?" Ron laughed, and Seamus' blush grew redder. "You're really cute when you blush. And when you don't." Seamus thought his head was going to start on fire his face was so hot. "Come closer."

Seamus decided not to be too eager this time. "What tipped you off?"

"To your crush?" Seamus nodded. "Your following me, and coming up here, and rambling. Though, to be fair, a little bit was just hopefulness." Ron smiled.

"You, you like me too?" Seamus asked.

"If you invited someone underneath a blanket, and then told them to come closer, it would be for reasons other than attraction?" Ron asked.

"I guess not." Seamus replied. "How long have you been harboring these feelings."

"I'd venture to guess as long as you have." Ron said. Seamus lowered his eyelids halfway and sort of frowned. "I'm not going to give you a definitive answer, so don't give me that face. I don't want to embarrass myself by saying I liked you first." He stuck his tongue out at Seamus, and Seamus returned the gesture, but with very limited space between the two, their tongues touched, and they kind of recoiled at the odd sensation. Shortly thereafter, though, they retreated their tongues and were locked in a kiss. When they were no longer able to coordinate breaths through their noses, they released each other's lips. "So how long have you wanted to do that for?" Ron asked.

"I'd venture to guess as long as you have." Seamus mimicked, and leaned in to kiss him again. "Why did you come up here anyway?"

"I like to look at the stars. It usually helps me put things into perspective, that the universe is big and we are small." Ron pulled Seamus closer to him. "But for some reason, I feel like in this moment that there is nothing else besides us."

"You were right." Ginny said as she sat down at the same table as Hermione in the common room. Luckily for her, some of the boys were still in the great hall, and they told her the password had changed to shrivelfig. She ignored Hermione's affirmative response and continued "I should have left them to rest because now I'm confused."

Hermione looked up from her studies, "What happened?"

"I went to visit Harry and I was waiting for him to wake up, but when he did, I got next to him, and he called me Weasley, like he was Malfoy, so I went over to Malfoy, and when he woke up, he said the same thing. So I don't know what happened, but it can't be good. What if they're both Malfoy now?" Ginny asked. She put her head into her hands. "I don't want to think of them both having the same personality."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Hermione assured her. "This is why I told you to wait. They need rest; Harry's tired and disoriented, so just give it time. Wait for Madam Pomfrey or Dumbledore to check that they've made a full recovery." Ginny nodded. "Seriously, Ginny, wait. This could be something severe, and I don't want you to feel worse than you do now."

"I won't, I promise." Ginny said. "I think I'm going to sleep now, even if just for a bit, I need to not think about this."

"Okay, try and sleep well. You could always try studying too, that would take your mind off things." Hermione suggested.

"I'd rather go back to the infirmary." Ginny responded. "G'night."

Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed. She went back to her studies, but couldn't focus now that it came to light what had happened between her friend and her enemy. It would be really hypocritical of me to tell Ginny off for seeing Harry and then going down to see Harry. She started reading some arithmanthic theories, but for once, it could not keep her attention. Maybe just for a moment. She gathered her books and scrolls and brought them to her dorm to drop off. She thought to herself that maybe she should try sleeping too, just so she wouldn't feel the urge to go visit. It would certainly be better to wait. She got ready and went to bed, and if she woke up at a decent hour she would visit when she was awake.

Harry's eyes suddenly fluttered open. Harry realized that he had woken up properly from his strange dream of Draco's childhood and recognized the familiar surroundings of the infirmary. He rubbed his eyes, and realized there was something off. He could see clearly, but he wasn't wearing his glasses. He turned to his side and saw himself, laying in the next bed over. He looked at his hands, smooth alabaster skin and a silver snake coiling around his ring finger. Harry let out a scream. Harry knew he wasn't in the same dream state because he definitely heard the screams coming from what was now his mouth. "Malfoy." Harry said, feeling odd for saying that to himself. "Malfoy, wake up." Draco slowly stretched out his new appendages. He winced in pain as he grabbed his chest where the fresh wound was. "Look at me." Harry demanded.

"I can't see anything." Draco said. "Why can't I see anything?" He panicked a little. Harry rolled his eyes.

He got up gingerly, and walked over to the other bed. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and put them on Draco. "Can you see now?" Harry asked. Once Draco's eyesight focused, he realized he was looking at himself and recoiled in horror. "I'll take that as a yes."

"What the bloody hell?" Draco yelled. "Is this another dream?"

"No." Harry said. "It doesn't seem so."

"How can you be so calm?" Draco asked frantically. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

"Well it wouldn't really do us any good would it?" Harry asked calmly. "It won't make things better. We have to talk to Dumbledore, maybe he can fix it."

"Well he'd better." Draco said with a disgusted look. "I can't stand the idea of being you for a moment longer."

Harry shook his head. "You think I like this? I'm going to go find Dumbledore right now." Harry was heading toward the exit when he suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching his chest and screaming out. Madam Pomfrey heard Draco's voice and rushed out to see what was wrong.

"Mr. Malfoy, you need to stay in bed." She came over to Harry and helped him back into bed. "Is there something wrong with your chest?"

"NO!" Draco yelled out a bit too loud.

"Mr. Potter, contain your outbursts." Madam Pomfrey said. "Now that the wand isn't in the way, I can examine the wounds."

"Shouldn't Dumbledore do this?" Harry asked. "There was some powerful magic happening between us."

Madam Pomfrey stopped. "I suppose you're right. But both of you need to stay put until I come back with the Headmaster." She took her leave and Draco breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was too close." Draco said. "He felt around the pockets and pulled out Harry's wand. Accio salve." Suddenly a small vial came through the infirmary door and landed in Draco's hands. Draco stood up and went over to his body, opening the robe and rubbing the cream over the pus covered wounds.

"What the hell, get off of me, Malfoy." Harry said, trying to push Draco off of him. "This is creepy."

"It's my body, Potter, and I'm not letting anybody see these." Harry looked down at the hands rubbing his chest. "I don't want you to see them either. Don't look at my body, pervert."

"Really? Just get off of me." Harry said, pushing Draco away.

"I'm almost done." Draco said, clearing up the last cut. "There will be a little sting, deal with it." He pocketed the vial and went back to the bed, just as Pomfrey and Dumbledore entered.

"How are you boys feeling?" Dumbledore asked. They looked at each other, then back to Dumbledore.

"Sore." Harry said. "Very sore." He winced in pain caused by the closing cuts. "And there's something else wrong."

"What's that?" Dumbledore asked.

"I think it might be something that should be kept a secret." Harry said, referring to Madam Pomfrey.

"I am certain that if you can say it to Headmaster Dumbledore, you can say it to me." However, Dumbledore looked at her, and reluctantly, she took her leave into her office.

"So Harry, what is the problem." He said this looking at Draco and the two boys gave him perplexed looks.

"How did you know?" Harry asked.

"I had a hunch that this would happen." Dumbledore answered. "Plus your body language. I've never seen you cross your arms at me, just as I've never seen Mr. Malfoy with opened arms."

"So you know how to fix it?" Draco asked.

"Alas, no." Dumbledore replied.

"What!?" Draco exclaimed. "Do you mean that you can't fix it?"

"Malfoy, calm down." Harry said. "But you're going to figure out how, right?" He turned back to Dumbledore.

"I have Severus and Minerva doing research, but I've never seen anything like this." Dumbledore said. "It's not often that a magic is so powerful that it completely destroys the wand that produces the magic."

"My wand is gone?" Draco asked. "But I just used this one." He pulled out Harry's wand again. "Oh, this isn't my wand."

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked. "Oh, we could take Polyjuice potion."

"No, Harry. Especially not after Barty Crouch. I don't want to compromise security by having Polyjuice potion readily available." Dumbledore answered.

"Then what?" Draco asked. "Are we going to be stuck like this forever?"

"No, I don't believe so, but it may take some time. I'm going to be discussing the issue with your heads of house, but my opinion at this point in time is for you two to just live each other's lives for the time being."

"But...but...but." Draco stammered.

"There's danger, sir." Harry said, interrupting Draco's stutter.

"That's why I don't think it's wise to reveal your identities." Dumbledore said. "If you use Polyjuice, you're at risk of somebody stealing it, and if you try to live as who you are, any danger that could breach the school could be amplified. You have new bodies that you have to get used to. You're compromised. Trust me, if there appears to be difficulties, we will look at alternative solutions.

"Okay, we can try." Harry responded.

"Are you mad?" Draco asked. "This isn't going to work. I demand to see my father."

"Oh. If you insist, but how do you think he would react to find you stuck in the body of Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked.

A scowl formed on the face of the boy who lived. "Fine." Draco said. "Fine, but I am against this."

"Duly noted, Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling. Harry chuckled to himself. "You two should still rest until you're fully recovered. Talk, and get to know each other. You're going to have to fool a lot of people, but I trust you two." He took his leave with a flourish and left the two boys.

"Old coot." Draco mumbled.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy." Harry said. "So, did it happen to you too?"

"Did what?"

"The memories. Did you get any of my memories?" Harry asked. "I saw what your dad did to you." He touched his chest. "And I know why he did it, at least once."

"Stop talking." Draco said. "You don't know what you saw."

"What did you see?" Harry asked.

"Nothing. I saw nothing. You didn't either." Draco spat. "So drop it."

"Fine." He said "So, we're going to have to be each other for awhile."

"It can't be that hard. I just have to be arrogant and self-serving." Draco said.

"As do I. The only difference is that you have to pretend to like my friends, but I can still treat what you call friends like shit." Harry said.

"Shit. I have to be friends with the Weasels and that mudblood." Draco responded. Harry threw a pillow at him. "Dammit."

"You're lucky you're in my body or I would have thrown something harder. You're not going to be able to call them that, you know." Harry said. "You're going to have to figure out how to be nice."

"I'm a nice guy, asshole." Draco replied. "A few days with me and they'll never have liked you more."

"Until you open your mouth and say something stupid." The two boys stared between squinted eyes. "Just do what Dumbledore asked of us, and it'll be fine. Snape or McGonagall or he will find some way to get us back to normal."

"Fine, I'm going to sleep now." Draco said, turning away from Harry.

"Fine." Harry sighed. He could not believe that he was stuck in the body of his biggest enemy in the school. What if things didn't get better? What if Dumbledore couldn't fix it? He sighed, and he remembered what he saw in Draco's past. He wanted to be his friend. Draco liked him. He thought about that as he fell back asleep. The swirling of thoughts filled his head, but it couldn't keep him awake.

A/N: Sorry for the very late update. I moved and time and energy just escaped me. But I'm back and the next chapter will be up much sooner.


	4. Loves Me Not

_I complicated our lives by falling in love with him / I complicated our lives, now I'm losing my only friend_

 _I don't know why / I have to try / Living my life on the other side_

 _Now I'm so confused / I don't know what to do / He loves me_

 _Loves Me Not_

Draco stood before the Fat Lady painting. _This is ridiculous._ "Gillyweed." He said to the painting, and it swung open to reveal the passage to the Gryffindor common. The sight of Gryffindors against the red and yellow was nauseating, but that was nothing compared to what happened next.

"Harry!" Ginny squealed, running up to Draco and giving him a big hug. "Oh, we've all missed you, so much." Ginny quickly let go as she felt Draco recoil. "Oh, you're still sore. Come sit down." She grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him by the fire.

"Hey mate, how are you feeling?" Seamus came up to Draco. Ron was right behind. They decided that despite their snuggling up under the stars, whatever their relationship was, or would be, would stay between them for the time being.

"Sore. The accident is a bit of a muddle." Draco replied. "Things are a bit hazy in general though." He decided he needed a catch-all statement to save him from future missteps in speech. Pretending to be Harry was sure to have some hiccups.

"I can only imagine." Seamus sympathized. "That fucking asshole ferret Malfoy. It's a shame the fall didn't do more harm to him." And there was the first hiccup. Draco wanted to lunge out at Seamus, but repressed his anger, which for Draco was easy enough, and oddly painless.

"Yeah." Draco said. "If only."

"Well I'm glad you're okay." Seamus said, patting Draco's shoulder. "The house would be a wreck if anything terrible happened to you." Seamus crossed over to a chair and Ron followed, placing himself on the arm.

"Just the last couple nights have been rough, not knowing how things were going to turn out." Ron said.

Hermione added. "We're just trying to say, you know, and maybe we don't say this often enough, but we care about you."

They all looked at Draco, with their faces, he noted. Contorted into some strange smiling, but with their eyes. As though they were sincere. _What the hell are they doing?_ He tried to smile too, but he could tell that it came off forced. He knew what a smile looked like, of course, and he knew which muscles to move, but he never really smiled like this. The smiling faces of Harry's friends surrounding him, and having to deal with the feelings. He couldn't handle it. "Thanks, yeah. Can...I know I've been in the infirmary, but I'm just so tired. I'm just gonna head to bed." Much to Draco's horror, they weren't angry, and some look even more foreign washed onto their faces. A smile without teeth, slightly raised eyebrows and a half lowered lid, and Granger had cocked her head to the side. _Can they not understand how odd they look right now._

"Oh, you poor thing." Hermione said. "It's not a problem. Go rest, we'll talk later." The group nodded their heads and Draco could still sense some strange feeling coming from them. He slowly got up and backed away, figuring a full sprint would arouse suspicion.

In the dorm, he identified Harry's bed and walked over to it. He sat down and let out a breath. _What just happened? Why were they being so nice?_ Draco's head was swimming in confusion. _Is it always like this? It can't be. These people, all of them, they're only supposed to be liking Potter because he's some famous, self-absorbed pseudo-celebrity. That feeling, those smiles, they were real. You can't just fake that. He's actually loved._

As a child, Draco had been put through hell by his father in the name of Voldemort. Lucius had intended to turn his son into the best Death Eater he could be. Lucius' favorite form of training was the hex he used on Draco to instill a message, by leaving little cuts on his chest that would open when he ever thought or acted in a way that was contradictory to his father's teachings. "Son." Lucius started one day in his training. "One of the greatest downfalls of man is that they have no control over their emotions. You see, emotions are incredibly powerful. Man has died in fits of lust, love, wrath, and sadness. If you do not learn to control your feelings, they will control you." Lucius raised his wand and muttered his curse, forming several cuts on Draco's chest. "This is the most important lesson, so punishment will be grave if you fail to take away anything. You cannot be emotive. People can play on that. It is a weakness, and you must quash it. You cannot give in. Feelings mean nothing in the grand scheme of things."

Draco sat on Harry's bed and he was overcome with so many feelings. Then it struck him. There was no pain. The years of torture he endured from his father in an effort to dull him of emotion, they all washed away. He could feel something other than the pain of his wounds opening whenever his emotions became too strong. It was too much for him to handle and he started to cry. He quickly put his face into Harry's pillow in case people could hear his sobs. He was like this for awhile, stifling the sound of his howling cries. He had soon worn himself out and passed out.

"Weasley is our king." Harry said, opening the wall to the Slytherin chamber. _They sure know how to run a joke into the ground._ As he reached the common room, he was a bit surprised by the welcome, or rather the lack thereof. "I'm back?" Zabini and Nott turned their heads, but were disinterested in what they saw and returned to their studies. Nobody else even looked up. "Doesn't anybody care about how I am?"

"It's not like you to care about what we think, Malfoy." Nott said with his head still down.

"I don't." Harry lied, trying to sound more like Draco, "But you should. Because I'm me."

"That sounds more like him." Blaise said to Theodore, and they both chuckled.

Harry rolled his eyes and in a huff, went to find his room. The dorm was kind of depressing. The windows looked out into the lake, but despite it being noon, it still looked dark outside. He found Draco's bed and went to lie down. He didn't really know what to do. Draco made it seem like he was always with some band of cohorts, but they didn't pay him any mind. _Is this how it always is?_ He decided to try and find Draco's things to study. He didn't have his friends, and Draco didn't have any of his own, so his options were limited.

However, something was found that was sure to give him plenty to do. In Draco's trunk, way at the bottom (Harry may have decided to snoop a bit before studying) was a little black book that he assumed was his diary. He opened it to the first page and read:

 _I can keep my emotions here. In the morning, I have just enough time to express what I need to before the pain gets to me. I am scared that I will change too much if I can't let myself feel. They tear open if I express emotion outwardly. Even holding it inside causes pain, but if I don't express it, it doesn't hurt as much. I must stop writing now, the p..._

The writing ended abruptly as a line of ink was hurriedly scrawled at the end of the entry. He opened to a later entry:

 _I can hate. I can be angry. I can be mean. It figures that I don't have to keep my negative emotions in check. I can't be happy or love, but I guess after awhile of only showing hate, I won't have anyone to love. He gets the brunt of my hatred, but only because I want to show him I have feelings for him, but I just can't show the right ones._

Harry was enthralled, and he continued reading:

 _I love him. I can't do anything about it. I love him. Ever since I first saw him at Madame Malkin's..._

Harry shut the book quickly. _Shit._

Draco woke up just as the sun was setting. His eyes were dry and he was groggy, but he felt good to finally let out tears. He also recognized that he felt good. _Maybe this won't be so bad, being in Harry's body._ And then he realized he was in Harry's body. The boy who he had just wanted to be close to for the last five years, who he fell for at first sight, was finally in his reach. He suddenly felt the need to shower, but on his way he noticed something coming from the next bed over. He walked over and saw a shiny corner of a book underneath the pillow. He looked around to make sure he was still alone, and grabbed it. On the cover was a big RW. Draco fingered through it. _Some_ _whiny stuff about his brothers and sister, being poor, losing his rat, typical Weasel stuff. Love Harry. Wait, what?_ Draco kept reading and found that Ron seemed to harbor some unrequited attraction for the boy whose body Draco now inhabited. _Well of course it's unrequited, Harry's holding out for me, he just doesn't know it yet._ He skipped ahead to the latest entry. _Stars in the sky and cuddling next to Seamus. Not surprised, I saw them together down there, trying to hide it. As father said, to show emotion is weakness, no matter how small you try to make it._

Draco had completely forgotten about the want to see his new self naked, and instead started scheming. _Why should they get to be happy? I can finally feel happy, and now I want to be happy._ He went into the bathroom to quickly freshen up. _He's gorgeous._ Draco stared into the mirror; he almost couldn't resist himself, but he had other plans. He headed downstairs and was happy to see Ron sitting at the fire, unfortunately Seamus was there too.

Ron sensed a presence behind him and turned his head. "Harry, you're awake. Feeling better?"

"A little, I think I need some fresh air. Wanna go for a walk?" Draco suggested.

"Sure that sounds great. Hey, we can go see Hagrid, it's been too long, and he'll want to know how you are." Draco didn't like the sound of that, but wasn't going to argue. "Hey, Hermione, want to come with us to see Hagrid?" Draco was relieved when Hermione declined, saying something about O.W.L.S. "Those are for almost ever away from now." Ron said. Draco wanted to kick him for trying to get her to quit studying, but ever diligent Hermione still declined, and then scolded him for not being focused on the big exams too. "Fine. How about you Seamus?"

Fearing that he would not decline, Draco stepped in, "I was hoping for just some time with...my best friend." Years of hate did not let those words come out easily. "Maybe he can come with the next time." Seamus looked a bit bummed, and Ron mouthed sorry. "Come on, Ron. See you all later." He said with a smile that was not as forced as last time, but still needed some practice.

They had made it outside and neither a word was shared between the two of them. "Is there something wrong, Harry." Ron asked, stopping them at the doors of the castle. "You didn't say anything."

Draco sighed, trying to find the words to say. "It's hard to explain." he didn't try very hard to find those words.

"You know you can tell me anything. Best friends, just like you said." Ron smiled. Draco didn't pay much mind to Ron in the past, focusing most of his attention on Harry, but he didn't mind what he saw, which made it easier as Ron was a distant second to what he had pined for with Harry. "You can explain on our way to Hagrid's."

Ron started walking towards the little hut, but Draco hadn't followed behind. "Wait." He called out. Ron turned, and was confused by the gap in distance. Draco jogged to catch up with Ron and said, "I don't want to see Hagrid. I just wanted to be alone with you." Draco took a step forward, closing the gap between the two boys.

Ron took the smallest of steps back. "Wh-why did you me alone?" He asked in a barely coherent string of words. "I mean...me you alone. Why?" Ron did not make himself any clearer. He took a gulp of air and he suddenly felt hot.

"There's something about being impaled in the chest and dropping hundreds of feet that makes you think about the brevity of life." Draco started. He had no idea what he was doing. He had never flirted or been direct, or even imagined himself in some romantic entanglement, even with Harry, his body hadn't allowed for that. But he was free to allow lust and love flow through him. He just had to wing it and hope for the best. In a surprise move for both parties, Draco took Ron's hand in his. "I couldn't let another day go by without letting you know how I felt." It was a lie, and guilt, which he had never been able to feel, had hit him hard, but he couldn't take it back now.

Ron stood there staring at Harry's face. "What? Do you mean that?" Draco could have told him the truth, that he saw Ron's diary, and that it was a mean joke, but he felt Ron's hand, tightening his, and he could see the look in Ron's eyes. He knew that this is what love must feel, he could feel Ron's love emanating and it felt amazing. He wanted more. "Harry?"

Draco leaned forward and kissed Ron, answering him. They broke their kiss, and already Draco was pining for more. "Yes, of course I mean that." He didn't, or at least he wasn't sure if he did, but he knew that if he told the truth, he wouldn't be able to kiss Ron again.

Ron took Draco's face into his hands and kissed him hard. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that." Ron wrapped his arms around Draco's neck. "I'm so happy right now, Harry."

"Me too." Draco said. He couldn't believe how amazing he felt with Ron. "I've never felt this way before."

Seamus entered the Gryffindor commons, tears running down his face. Hermione and Dean, who were working on transfiguration homework, looked up and noticed his crying. "Oh my, Seamus are you okay?" Hermione asked, leaving her scrolls. "What happened?"

"This is your fault." Seamus said, pointing his finger at Dean. "You had to push me." Seamus ran up to the dorm room.

Hermione turned to Dean with a look of confusion, "What did you do?"

"I honestly don't know." Dean asked shrugging, and headed up to talk with his friend.

As he entered the dorm, Dean had to duck as Seamus conjured a spark of light and threw it at his friend. "Leave me alone." Dean noted that Seamus was in Ron's bed, holding his pillow tight.

"No, talk to me, Seamus." Dean said, walking forward cautiously. "What's wrong?"

"He's gone." Seamus replied. "He was barely mine and now he's gone."

"He?" Dean asked. "Ron? What happened?"

"I saw him with Harry." Seamus replied. "They were kissing outside."

Dean sat down next to Seamus and put his arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry. Maybe he's just overwhelmed. Suddenly having two fit guys wanting him may have confused him." Seamus cracked a small smile. "He'll come to his senses." Dean assured.

"He just looked so much happier in that moment than at any time he was with me." Seamus frowned and a few tears trickled down. "I shouldn't be this upset. We weren't even like an official couple, but I've liked him for so long, and when we were together I had never felt so good." Seamus curled up and ignored Dean.

Dean left his friend to wallow while he headed down to confront Ron. "Is he okay?" Hermione asked when Dean entered the common room.

Dean sighed and shook his head. "No, he's pretty upset."

"Did he say why? What did you do?" She asked.

"It's sort of private." Dean replied. "If it becomes anything bigger, I'm sure you'll be let in on the details." Hermione nodded. "I'm gonna head downstairs to work something out. I'll be back later if you want to study some more." Hermione looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Oh, of course you'll want to, I'll be back later."

Dean left the common room, just as Draco and Ron were approaching. "Hey, Dean." Ron greeted.

"Oh, hey. I need to talk with you. I was going to grab a bite to eat quick, want to come with?" Dean asked Ron.

"Sure." Harry replied.

"Oh, no, I just needed to talk to Ron." Dean said, turning to Ron. "So can we talk?"

Ron looked at Draco. "Yeah, that's fine. It's fine, Harry, just wait in the common room. You can study with Hermione, she's still gung-ho on the exams." Draco rolled his eyes, but nodded and went through the passage.

"So what's up?" Ron asked as they walked away from the Fat Lady. Dean didn't respond. "You wanted to talk right?"

When they got a fair distance from the commons, Dean turned to Ron, and punched him in the arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?" Ron said, grabbing his arm.

"Seamus saw you kissing Harry." Ron turned away, shame washed over his face. "I thought you were better than that. I trusted you."

"What does your trust..."

"I pushed him." Dean interrupted. "We talked about him liking you, and I could see you do little stupid things when you were around him, and when you stayed the other night because he showed up, I knew that you really did like him. I told him to go after you that night, to follow you up to the tower, because I didn't think you were gonna go and break his heart like that."

"We were barely together." Ron said.

"And? Seamus' feelings aren't as important because you don't feel as strongly for him?" Dean asked.

"It was Harry though. If I knew for a second that he felt for me what I felt for him." Ron said.

"You could have talked to Seamus, instead of letting him find you that way."Dean said.

"I didn't think he would." Ron said. And Dean punched him again.

"Really? You think the problem was that you got caught and not that you did it in the first place?" Dean said.

"I'm sorry." Ron said.

"Don't apologize to me." Dean said. "Make it right with Seamus. I'm going to grab dinner." Dean walked away from Ron. "So fix it."

Ron stood watching him leave. He felt like shit now, and didn't know how he was going to confront Seamus now.

He wasn't sure if he should be that surprised. Draco had always been especially cruel to him and his friends, but to be in love with him, Harry just didn't see that coming. _Okay, it'll be fine. Can only imagine what he's doing with me right now. He can see me naked, and touch me, and..._ Harry's face contorted into disgust. His least favorite person in the school had to be the one trapped in his body, and he must have been so excited once that hit him. _I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, but things are going to be really messed up now._

"What are you doing?" Harry quickly hid the book under the sheets and looked up to see Blaise.

"Sitting. Why do you care?" Harry asked.

"I thought I was supposed to care about everything you do." He responded sarcastically. "Isn't that what you said?"

"Whatever, I'm still in pain from the accident. I must have just forgotten that nobody here actually cares." Harry said.

"Bloody hell, stop being a drama queen." Blaise sat on his bed across from Harry. "You are an ass to everyone, Malfoy. You know that I am probably the only person who is even sort of close to you, if you don't count the two hulking dumbasses and that trollop, Pansy, and what do you want, a medal?"

"For what?" Harry asked.

Zabini rolled his eyes. "For attacking Potter."

"Is that what happened?" Harry asked, trying to remember the fall. _Did Draco really attack me?_

"I suppose you should be a bit forgetful after that, but yes, and you may be lucky enough that not too many people were paying attention to you until after you lunged out for him." Blaise shook his head. "You fucked up. If any of the teachers, except maybe Snape, saw what you did, you're going to be in so much trouble."

"They haven't said anything yet." Harry was still in shock that this wasn't an accident. _Is this what his love means?_

"Well maybe they're waiting. I'm sure you just want to make your father proud, and doing the Dark Lord's bidding may be well and good for you, but I don't want to be pulled into your vacuum." Blaise said, standing up. "If you try this shit again, I'll stop you. There's already a war looming over our heads because of his uprising. I don't want to be stuck in a fight against Dumbledore's side." He was walking toward the door. "So the next time you injure yourself in his name, don't expect any sympathy from me."

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A/N: Sorry for the delay, which tends to happen a lot. Thanks for following. I've been working on this story for a long time, so reviews and feedback and follows and faves are all super appreciated.


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